A Way Out

Chapter 12

"I swear she's going to give me grey hairs. I found the little monster amidst my curtains on the ground. She finally did it, alright. Tore my curtains down," Mrs. Ginny grumbled before taking the last bite of her cookie.

I stared at Mrs. Ginny's grey hair in amusement. If this woman was going to get any greyer, I would eat my shoe. She must've been the most adorable woman on the planet as she munched on her cookie. "Would you like another cup of tea?" I asked her.

"Yes, darling." With a chuckle and a shake of my head, I walked back to the counter to pour Mrs. Ginny another cup of tea.

"You seem to be in a delightful mood," Cassie noticed as she prepared two cups of coffee with a smile.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Nothing special. Just feeling much better lately" I said, dismissing her comment.

Cassie grinned. "So, it has nothing to do with our swoon-worthy businessman over there?" she asked as she nodded forward.

I looked up to see what she meant and found Donovan smiling shyly at me as he rubbed the back of his head. Donovan didn't radiate business today as he didn't wear his usual suit, but a much more casual attire. He wore a denim, light blue shirt with some black trousers. Those muscular arms of his made themselves more clearly in that blouse. Donovan's hair seemed to be untamed as the curls rested freely on his head. There was no 'cold' and even no ice in those blue eyes of his. He came here today as just a man, not as the owner of a large publishing house.

"Good afternoon." He stepped up to the counter with a shy smile, his greeting directed towards Cassie, and I could feel myself slipping into a daze of absolute wonder as I kept on staring at him.

"Good afternoon and welcome. What can I help you with today?" Cassie asked with a sales smile on her face. I watched the two of them with a withheld breath, wondering where their interaction would lead to.

"I was wondering if I could borrow your employee for today?" he asked as he nodded towards me. My eyes widened and my cheeks flamed at his request. This was more than unexpected. Borrow me for what? Donovan shuffled on his feet as he waited for Cassie's answer, making his nerves clear.

A knowing smile appeared on Cassie's face as she looked at me. O for god sake. "What an unusual request. May I ask what you need her for?" I almost wanted to facepalm myself. Why did she have to drag this out? A simple yes or no would suffice.

Donovan smiled as his eyes found mine, communicating with me without saying a word. He told me he needed company and more specifically my company. Donovan wanted to be the man today he was when only I looked, when only I saw him, and when only I laughed at his words. He needed to be the man today, I knew he truly was.

"Mind clearing," he simply said. I raised my brow. Hell, if I knew what he meant by that, but I was more than willing to provide that for him.

"Sure. It's not busy," Cassie replied with a smile.

"Okay, then I'll be waiting outside for you," Donovan told me. All of this went down without me even saying a word or barely making a move. When I got up this morning, I never expected that this would happen. I never dreamt of Donovan finding his way to the coffee shop today not to make his usual order, but to be there for me. To want my company and to spend this day with me.

"Earth to Everly," Cassie said as she snapped her fingers in front of my face, making me blink in response.

"Y-yeah?"

Cassie's blue eyes sparkled. "I want to know everything that went down when you come to work tomorrow. When the hell did all of this even happen? And probably right under my nose," she murmured as she went back to the coffee she was preparing.